Anatomy of a Survivor

The anatomy of a survivor starts at the top,
from head to toe. Unless an individual is mentally prepared to survive a
catastrophe, he will likely perish. In an apocalyptic life and death scenario,
fewer than ten percent of people are emotionally equipped to survive. Survivors
are mentally wired to assess the situation correctly, react quickly, accurately,
and to make the necessary adjustments which a survival situation requires.

The question is: Are these individuals
pre-disposed genetically to survival at birth or are they created from
their surroundings and upbringing. This issue has been studied
extensively by John Leach, Author of Survival Psychology. His findings
showed that survival is based many times on the individual, but also the
nature of the catastrophe that they faced. As Preppers, we face many
threats ranging from natural disasters to man-made economic or societal
collapse. Our ability to survive is enhanced by our level of
preparedness. We have the confidence of knowing that the survival skills
and preparedness supplies are available to us for the long haul of
recovery. That said, however, a panicked prepper will not be a survivor.

The people most likely to survive an
apocalyptic event share certain common traits. Here are the most
important:

As has been noted,
survival is as much mental as it is physical. Under
extreme circumstances, some people simply lose their
will to live. There are countless stories of people who
have survived terminal illnesses or serious accidents,
frequently defying the odds. Leach notes that
physical size and strength do not seem to be much of a
factor. Consider the reports of people achieving
super-human strength to lift a car in order to save a
loved one. The human mind has the ability to take you to
levels of strength that are unimaginable. One must have
the will to live to survive.

ABILITY TO ADAPT,
OVERCOME

Psychology Today
states that "resilience" is "that ineffable quality that
allows some people to be knocked down by life and come
back stronger than ever". Rather than letting failure
overcome them, they pick themselves up, dust off their
pants and make lemon out of lemonade. They are
able to regain their composure and emotional state of
mind, then let things go. Resilient people
actually gain strength from adversity.

CONFIDENCE SHOWN
THROUGH DEFIANCE

Arthur Ashe, the great
Tennis professional, once said "One important key to
success is self-confidence. An important key to
self-confidence is preparation." This is what Preppers
do. We prepare. If you are confident in your
preparations and achieved an acceptable level of
self-reliance, then you are less affected by what is
going on around you. Further, you are less likely
to succumb to the will of a panicked group. In a
survival situation, the natural tendency is to seek help
from others. Sometimes seeking help is not necessarily
the safe thing to do. A confident, well prepared
prepper, can defy the group and have comfort in knowing
that they can go it alone if necessary. The
self-confident survivor is tenacious and prepared to
defy the odds.

SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS

Be aware of what is
going on around you. A survivor is not clueless.
Situational awareness is the practice of being alert to
your surroundings. Survivors have an internal radar
going at all times, even prior to a collapse event. They
are constantly scanning, assessing and making judgments
about others. The survivor reads people quickly and
assesses a threat, if any. They recognize a potential
hazardous situation. They also have an innate ability to
recognize when the crap has hit the fan. One key to
survival is to get a leg up on the events which follow a
catastrophe. The survivor recognizes the seriousness of
a collapse event and reacts immediately.

INTUITION

Survivors trust their
feelings and instincts. Survivors are logical, thereby
able to make a quick analysis of any situation. Many
times they will act instinctively, quickly, often before
others are able to grasp the severity of a situation.
Intuition is not magical - but rather is it is formed
from our past experiences and knowledge. It is difficult
to define or quantify. The key is that you have
confidence in your intuition and the survivor cannot be
afraid to make life saving decisions based upon it.

PROBLEM SOLVERS

Survivors are creative
problem solvers who can use their confidence and
knowledge to bring people together into a survival
group. Problems that may seem too difficult to overcome
can be easily resolved by survivors who have mastered
this synergy. Synergy is the great force multiplier,
dramatically increasing the survival of a group.
Survivors can take one plus one and make it equal
forty-three. Survivors are obvious take charge people.
Survivors will use their problem solving ability to gain
the confidence of the group and help them survive as
well.

So the question again
is: Are these traits something that a survivor is born
with, or are these learned characteristics. I believe
that while both are necessarily true, it is not too late
for all of us to become survivors.

The first step is
preparation. Create a solid Preparedness Plan which will
enable you to have confidence when the collapse event
occurs. This is the first step in showing your desire
and will to live.

Next, practice being
more aware of your surroundings. Study people. Watch
their movements. Try to assess their background,
attitudes, etc. This will enable you to develop an
intuition about people and surroundings.

Finally, study and
learn about the threats that we face. Know the
consequences of certain natural disasters or man-made
catastrophic events. Role play in your mind how you
would react to each. Do you have the supplies and tools
necessary to survive such an event. If not, go get them.

I wake up every day
and ask myself: "If 'X' happened overnight what prep
would I wish that I had the most." Then I go and get it.
The first step to survival is preparedness. The second
step is to get mentally prepared.

Prepare for tomorrow
because you never know when the day before, is the day
before.